“Australia needs to broaden well beyond the current focus on short-term driverless shuttle deployments. In the US, it is now a decade since Google first launched its self-driving car project," Excell argued.

Singapore ranked first for Asia in the KPMG-run survey, while The Netherlands led the overall rankings.

The potential for autonomous vehicles to improve our lives has been well documented, although whether or not enthusiasts want them is another question entirely.

A study from Infrastructure Victoria found taking the 'autonomous fast lane' could improve the efficiency of Victorian roads by 91 per cent.

"We have already seen the end of vehicle manufacturing in this country, and the fast-moving AV tech sector can go a long way to filling that gap left behind – but Australia must stop sitting on its hands and waiting for others to first make a move,” Rita Excell said.